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Thirteen Plead Guilty to PayPal 2010 Attack

Thirteen alleged members of hacktivist group Anonymous have pleaded guilty to a 2010 DDoS attack on online payment processor PayPal, according to the US Department of Justice.

The members, who have also allegedly claimed victims among major US companies from several industries, have been released on bond to await a verdict.

The PayPal web site was taken down in a DDoS attack in December of 2010, a month after the company refused to process any more payments to WikiLeaks. The attack was carried out using a software suite called Low Orbit Ion Canon.

The refusal was based on the violation of PayPal’s terms of service after WikiLeaks released a large quantity of classified cables of the US State Department. At the time, WikiLeaks called PayPal’s refusal an action intended to “economically strangle WikiLeaks.”